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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 2019)
What you’ve been missing without SECTION D $ SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 35/YE AR Home-based hoops Getting closer to face new scrutiny There are new regu- lations on where Keizer residents can place there basketball hoops. In early September, the Keizer City Council passed ordinances prohibiting the placement of basketball hoops, and other obstructions, on sidewalks. The new rules also state that hoop standards can only be placed in the streets where on-street parking is allowed when in “active use.” The changes require refl ectors or refl ective tape on both sides of basketball standards regardless of where it ends up. Councilors were re- sponding to regular com- plaints about obstructions along sidewalks in general, but basketball hoops are a frequent source of ire among residents. Two weeks later, the Keizer Traffi c Safety, Bikeways and Pedestrian Committee approved a slate of alternative options: standards can be place on private property or planter strips and hang over sidewalks and streets or be installed in the concrete of a sidewalk so long as fi ve feet of clearance is maintained. City-issued permits will be needed to install hoops in the sidewalk or planter strips. Neither the city council nor the traffi c safety committee offered a specifi c defi nition of what will constitute “active use.” Both bodies, at the request of city staff, declined to couple it with a precise window of time. “If we assign an exact time frame that will require more documentation and more work on the part of city staff,” said Community Development Director Nate Brown. The city has only one code enforcement offi cer who splits time between the planning department and the police department. Enforcement of the new ordinances and all they entail will be complaint-driven. Settlement: Shotguns only at cross-river quarry A Polk County man recently agreed to something like a ceasefi re at his quarry across the Willamette River. On two separate occasions in 2017 and 2018, bullets fi red from high-powered weapons fl ew across the river caused chilling moments for visitors to Sunset Park and one Keizer family. In June 2018, a bullet from the range penetrated the outside wall of a home owned by a Keizer couple and stopped when it hit a granite backsplash a few feet from one of the owners. The incident sparked a lawsuit and prompted the City of Keizer to get involved. In August, the city, the couple and the quarry owner agreed to a settlement that prohibits any fi rearms from being fi red at the property other than shotguns. Shotguns are constructed differently from other long-barreled weapons which prevents ammunition from fl ying longer distances. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald In case you haven’t heard, or haven’t driven through Keizer Station lately, Keizer is getting the fi rst In-N-Out Burger location north of Medford. Construction began in June and the opening is expected sometime in November or December. A spokesperson for the com- pany declined to provide a more specifi c timeframe on when you’ll get to order that fi rst double-double. City may ask voters to revise charter In February, the Keizer City Council began a pro- cess that could result in voters being asked to remove lan- guage from the city charter that alienates members of the community who identify as something other than hetero- sexual. Councilors set a short-term goal of establishing a charter review committee to eliminate pieces of Section 44, which in- cludes anti-LGBTQ language in the city charter, and make other adjustments as recom- mended by the committee. Voters approved Section 44 of the Keizer city charter in 1993 and it would still be in effect had the state legislature not rendered it moot. City staff will return to council with a resolution to form a charter review com- mittee and the goal is to place revised language on the ballot in 2020. Waiting until next year will keep the cost to a minimum. Section 44 prohibited the city from: extending minority status to individuals based on sexual orientation and expending funds that “promote homosexuality or express approval of homosexual behavior” and forbids recognizing members of the LGBTQ+ community McNary grad, double amputee releases memoir As a double-amputee, Kacey McCallister has endured chal- lenges of all kinds over the course of his life, and he has KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings Alexa Cepeda receives adoration from teammates after lift- ing the Lady Celts to victory in the fi rst round of the OSAA softball playoffs in May. McNary rallies for first round victory After trailing for the en- tirety of the game, Alexa Cepeda had a chance to be a hero for the Celtics softball team in the bottom of the sixth. And the McNary cen- ter fi elder took full advan- tage of the opportunity. Cepeda came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and two outs with the Celtics trailing 4-2. After working the count to full and foul- ing off four pitches, Cepeda lined a three-run double to the wall in left fi eld, bring- ing in the go-ahead score and allowing McNary to come away with a 5-4 win over North Medford in their fi rst round playoff game on Monday, May 21. “It felt awesome. I love being there for my team and I love that I was the one to be in that position to help us pull it off,” Cepeda said. tackled them all with a fi ghting and resilient spirit that is rare to fi nd. Now, he can add the chal- lenge of writing a book to his list of incredible accomplish- ments. The book is called When Life Gets You Down, RISE UP, and on April 1, McCallister’s fi nished product hit the shelves at Barnes & Noble. “I wanted to share my life and my experiences, but more than anything, I wanted to in- fl uence people’s lives through this book,” McCallister said. “But the book really isn’t about me. It’s about what other people can do regardless of their cir- cumstances and rising up when stuff gets hard.” Walling headed to OSU McNary linebacker Junior Walling, who will be a senior this fall, has received nearly a dozen offers from Division I schools over the last 14 months. And on Thursday, June 13, Walling made the decision on where he wants to continue his career as a student-athlete. Walling has been an Oregon State fan for his entire life — in large-part due to the fact that his father, Jason, was a tight end and defensive end for the Beavers from 1990-92. So being able to play in Corvallis is a dream come true for him. “It feels amazing to know that I will be a Beaver. I grew up dreaming that one day I would be able to play at Reser Stadium,” Walling said. as a minority with special protections. Councilor Dan Kohler de- livered one of the strongest re- bukes of Section 44 calling it a “blemish on the quality of the city. [Section 44] is inconsis- tent with the Keizer way.” Earlier this month, after some stumbles, the council approved the seven resident members of the Charter Re- view Committee, they are: Zaira Flores-Marin, Shannon Flowers, Broderick Pack, Gar- ry Whalen, Pat Fisher, Kathy Lincoln, and Rick Kuehn. Councilors Kim Freeman and Elizabeth Smith will also serve on the committee. Knowing is essential Local journalism keeps you in the know. SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR ONLY $ 35/YEAR CALL 503.390.1051 CLICK KEIZERTIMES.COM/STORE COME BY 142 CHEMAWA RD N
